


There's a Time and a Place for Everything (And It's College)

by LamentofMeow



Category: Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010)
Genre: Becky Only Wants the Best, Boys Being Boys, F/M, M/M, Stupid Boys is as Stupid Boys Does
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-06
Updated: 2020-11-06
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:26:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 19,989
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27419506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LamentofMeow/pseuds/LamentofMeow
Summary: Dave has no idea what he wants, but Becky tries to help him figure it out. Eventually Balthazar/Dave, but Dave has to go through a few OCs to get there.
Relationships: Balthazar Blake/Dave Stutler, Becky Barnes/Dave Stutler, Dave Stutler/Original Character(s)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 27





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Just saw the movie a few days ago and forgot how much I enjoyed it the first time ten years ago (god that sentence makes me feel old). I'm trying to get back into writing fic, but most of my stuff is posted to the Pit. Trying it out over here as the formatting hurts my eyes and brain significantly less. I wanted to try it out before I started bringing my fic over and, well, this bunny has been on my hard drive for a while and I cleaned it up a little to post.
> 
> Would definitely appreciate any and all comments. It's all written, but I didn't know whether to post one chapter at a time or just all of it...but eh, why not. So here it all is!
> 
> Thanks for reading!

Dave figured he deserved a chance at happiness. He defeated the bad guy (girl?) and won the girl of his dreams. Becky’s lips were soft and her hands warm when he held them. France was fun and the food delicious, but it was the company he admired the most. She had been so far from his reach for so long that to have her next to him and to be able to kiss her was a dream.

Flying back home on the eagle, Becky’s arms wrapped securely around his waist and his heart fluttering at the warmth, Dave still had trouble believing it was real. She was perfect and he loved her and he, against all reason, was lucky enough to have her and be loved back.

At the end of it all, Dave was happy.

_o_o_o_

“Wait, what? What did I do--I’m sorry, whatever it is. I can change? Let me change?” Dave stumbled around their apartment, desperately gesturing as Becky continued to pack her clothes into a duffle bag.

“No, Dave. I don’t want you to change.” Becky sighed and hoisted her bag higher onto her shoulder. She took one last look around at her room (they had gotten an apartment with two bedrooms--she had thought it considerate at first, but now…boyfriends and girlfriends moving in together generally shared a room, but not her and not Dave).

“Then I don’t understand. Why are you leaving?” Dave stuck his hands in his pockets and tried not to cry. It wasn’t manly to cry and, as a graduate student at only twenty and a powerful magic user who had saved the world, he was pretty sure he qualified as a man. Most of the time.

Becky shook her head and turned to face Dave, “I’m not leaving. I’m just...moving out. I’ll still be in your life, Dave. Just not as a girlfriend.”

“That’s just as bad! I love you, Becky--I don’t want you to move out.”

“I love you, too. And I know you love me. I’m just not really convinced you’re _in_ love with me.” Becky raised one hand to Dave’s cheek and lightly patted it with her palm once before turning around and leaving the bedroom (no longer hers) and then the apartment.

Dave could hear the door close quietly and thought to himself it would have been better if she had slammed it.

_o_o_o_

It wasn’t a small campus, to be fair. NYU sprawled through the city with classes in theaters and small buildings miles away from its center. There was plenty of room to be and learn and even more room to avoid those you didn’t want to see.

And yet somehow Dave had run into Becky no less than seven times in the last three days. An improbable event in usual circumstances as they were in different colleges and Becky was still an undergraduate. But add in that Dave, for the last three weeks, had been doing his absolute hardest to avoid any of the common spaces where he might have had a chance of even glimpsing her, it was almost impossible.

He’d seen her at the coffee shop by his apartment multiple times, crossing the street away from him at least twice, walking down the street and into a pizza place, even climbing out of the subway at the stop directly across from the space he still had for his physics project (and magical training, but his graduate advisor definitely didn’t know about that part).

He was going crazy. He missed her and still felt an ache every time he thought of going home to his empty apartment, let alone the anguish that made his knees weak every time he actually entered it and was greeted with cold silence. It would have been nice to at least have had Tank at home, but Tank had very decidedly made the decision to stay in the underground subway lab with Balthazar.

“I don’t get it--she was happy! I was happy! _We_ were happy.” Dave rocked from foot to foot, his arms outstretched and palms together as he willed lightning into his hands. The blue fire of the Merlinian circle danced out of reach, giving off no heat as his twitching feet intersected the flames every other second.

“Apparently she was _not_ happy, Dave.” Balthazar replied, turning a page in the book he had across his lap, one leg tucked on top of the other with his ankle resting on his knee. His posture, Dave reflected, was awful--he was slumped down into his chair with his chin resting on his chest and one hand lazily flipping through the book while his other hand, ring glowing a soft blue, lazily brought up a shield in preparation to deflect the lightning Dave had finally summoned into his hands.

Dave sighed and threw his ball of lightning half-heartedly, the lightning fizzling out with a small pop before even getting half-way across the space. Balthazar frowned and looked up, his shield also dispersing as he closed his book and sat up, gaze firmly on Dave.

Dave dejectedly shuffled his feet and tucked his hands into his pockets, “Sorry, Balthazar. It’s just hard to concentrate--I miss her, you know? She was the love of my life and she just...left me.”

Balthazar sighed and stood up, putting his book down before stretching his arms over his head and then shaking out his fingers by his sides. He turned away from Dave and walked over to the corner where he kept his things, his living area a disastrous mess of wrinkled blankets and books and discarded paper. Tank, sleeping comfortably underneath the uncomfortable looking camp bed that served as Balthazar’s bed, grumbled and lifted his head just enough to see it was Balthazar before turning onto his side and drifting off to sleep again.

“You’re no use if you can’t even clear your head, Dave. Go get some coffee or something, try to get your thoughts in order.” Balthazar dropped into a crouch by his bed and rummaged through the papers at the foot, pulling out a letter whose seal had been cracked open. Unlike the other papers, the paper of the letter looked new--bright white and obviously paper, not parchment. Who in the world would be sending Balthazar letters? Though, Dave reflected, Balthazar probably didn’t have an email...did he?

“Do you have an email?” Dave blurted out, the amount of time between thought and words usually brief. After he asked the question, Dave had a moment to blush and fidget as Balthazar, the letter still in his hand, stood up and turned to face him.

“Yes, Dave. I do have an email. I was locked in an urn for ten years, but it was 2000 when I went in.” Balthazar sighed deeply and walked closer to the circle where Dave still stood.

“So it’s...what? Hotmail? AOL? Earthlink?” Dave chuckled, fidgeting his hands that were still tucked firmly in his pockets.

“Hotmail,” Balthazar started to shoo Dave out of the circle and towards the stairs in the corner, “Now get--if you can’t focus enough to train, then there’s no sense training.”

Dave smiled and allowed himself to be shooed. He climbed the stairs and, just as he tugged open the heavy door to the street, Balthazar shouted up at him, “I’ll see you here bright and early in the morning to make up for it, Dave! Your first class isn’t until 8--we’ll get in a couple of hours before that.”

As the door slammed shut behind him, Dave groaned at the command. Resigned to his fate, he walked down the street and entered the first coffee shop he could. He had a paper due tomorrow and if he had to be up early the next morning, the chances of a full night’s sleep were slim to none.

So of course the first thing he’d see when he entered the coffee shop was bright blue eyes and silky blonde hair.

“Oh god.” Dave stuttered and the door he was swinging open swung back on him, hard enough to smack him in the nose, but not hard enough to knock him out of the doorframe. He stood there awkwardly, holding the door open with one hand and rubbing his smarting face with the other.

Unfortunately, his disastrous entrance was enough that the whole shop had paused to look at him. Noticing the unwanted attention, Dave had a second to decide if leaving would be the better option to save face when he heard a hesitant, “Dave?”

Dave dropped his hands. Oh god, oh god, really? What had he ever done to deserve this--he saved the world, for crying out loud. “Becky!” Dave exclaimed. He might have overdone it with the excitement, but it was either false cheer or make a break for it.

“Dave--hi! It’s good to see you.” Becky smiled and Dave’s heart fluttered. She was still so beautiful. And the way she said it--he believed it. She was genuinely happy to see him. How? How could she leave him and then be happy to see him?

“Is it? It’s only been a whole three weeks.” Dave was surprised at his emotional whiplash. While he had been pseudo-ecstatic seconds ago, his tone had firmly slipped into maudlin and depression.

“I know—I’ve been trying to get into contact with you, but you haven’t been picking up your phone. I might have been driven to stalking you. But just a little. We need to talk, Dave.” Becky’s smile shrunk, but stayed steady. Her optimism broke his heart a little more.

“Fine, yeah. Talk. Us.” Dave stepped fully into the shop and walked over to the table where Becky had been sitting. At the lack of drama, the occupants of the shop resumed their own conversations and Dave breathed a little easily with his returned anonymity.

Dave sat in the rickety wooden chair across from Becky. For a few uncomfortable minutes, they sat in silence as Becky sipped her, from what Dave could tell, hot chocolate with an inordinate number of marshmallows.

Her drink made him laugh and talk without thinking, his specialty, “Still love those marshmallows.”

Becky started and some of the drink slipped out of the cup and onto her hand. She absentmindedly wiped at the drops with a napkin and put her mug down, smiling, “You know me.”

“I thought I did.” Dave winced. He really needed to work on his brain to mouth reflex.

Becky’s smile turned sad, “I guess I deserved that.”

Dave signed and leaned back, his body finally uncoiling from the unconscious tension he had been subjecting it to. Suddenly the chair got almost comfortable, “No, no you didn’t. I’m sorry.”

Becky let out a breath of air and her smile slipped a little more, “Don’t apologize, Dave. I’m afraid you think I broke your heart. You have every right to be mad at me.”

“You did break my heart, Becky,” Dave crossed his arms and his shoulders went up. After a second, he relaxed again, “But I’m not mad at you.”

“Well that’s a relief,” Becky reached a hand out and touched Dave’s arm. Even through his many layers, Dave could feel the heat of her palm. Dave glanced down and couldn’t help but smile--he had missed her. He had missed the comfort she could give and the way she made him happy.

“I miss you,” he said it quietly, almost under his breath. As soon as he said it, he wished he could take it back. Becky’s face went quiet and closed, but she left her hand on his arm.

“I miss you, too, Dave,” his heart fluttered, but she kept talking, “But I don’t think you miss me the way you think you do.”

“What does that even mean?” Dave grumbled darkly.

Becky smiled softly, “I love you, Dave. I even thought I was _in_ love with you. But you--”

“Yeah, you mentioned three weeks ago. You don’t think I’m in love with you. That’s crazy, Becky. I’m head-over-heels for you. I have been since we were _ten_ for crying out loud--”

“That’s kind of the problem, Dave.” Becky’s hand dropped from his arm. Dave noticed the loss at about the same time as he noticed the (at least trying to be) subtle side-eye of the patrons around them. Apparently they had decided that the drama wasn’t over, after all.

Dave checked his volume at their increased level of attention, “You’re the love of my life, Becky.”

Becky looked at him sadly, “Oh, Dave. No, I’m not,” Dave stood up abruptly and made as if to leave. Becky stood up as well and grabbed his arm. Her hand was still warm, but Dave didn't care enough to notice this time, “I’m not, Dave. Think about it--you know I’m not. We lived together for six months. Six months! How many times did we--” Becky’s gaze darted left and right at the no longer even trying to be subtle stares aimed their way. She dropped her own volume and moved close enough to Dave that only he could hear, “How many times did we have sex, Dave?”

Dave felt a dark, ominous, gaping hole open up underneath where his heart had previously rested in his chest. Plummeting, his heart had enough time to cripple his stomach and throat before smashing into nothingness. Dave’s stomach cramped and his throat went tight and he just gargled incomprehensible nonsense while trying, and failing, not to blush.

Becky rolled her eyes and, with the hand still grabbing his arm, dragged him from the coffee shop and over to one of the unoccupied tables and chairs that had been set up outside.

It was freezing (October in New York wasn’t necessarily freezing, but, well, any month in New York was cold), which probably accounted for the lack of people sitting outside. Becky dropped Dave’s arm and sat on one of the chairs, curling into herself at the cold and stuffing her hands into mittens and then into the pockets of her coat.

Dave slumped into the opposite chair and didn’t seem to even notice the cold. He usually wore no less than three layers, but even then he should have shivered. His hands were bare and he was only wearing a hoodie.

Becky shivered in sympathy, “Aren’t you cold?”

Dave shook his head and flashed the dragon ring around his finger. He didn’t need it anymore for most spells, but he had just been training with Balthazar and it helped to have a physical reminder when practicing. Becky nodded, “Ah. The wonders of magic.”

“My own personal heater. A necessity in New York, for sure.” Dave laughed and rubbed at his face, taking a few seconds before continuing their conversation, “I thought...I thought we were taking it slow. I didn’t want to rush you.”

Becky let out a startled laugh, “Rush me? Dave, _six months_ . You picked our apartment! You picked our apartment that had _two bedrooms_ and then didn’t make a move on me for six months. What was I supposed to figure out from that?”

Dave winced, “I made moves!”

Becky rolled her eyes, “Sure--fine, you did. And then we’d make out and just when it would start to escalate you’d make a run for it.”

“I thought I was being a gentleman!”

“Oh come on, Dave. You weren’t ready--it’s fine to admit it. You weren’t ready and I honestly don’t think you would have ever been ready.”

Dave’s throat constricted again and he slumped even more into his seat. He’d been ready! He just didn’t want...didn’t want. Dave’s forehead creased as he thought back to not so far ago when they’d been living together. He had been ready, hadn’t he? The feel of her against him--her breath, her mouth, her hands--Dave jerked away from the imaginary hands instinctively.

Dave’s heart skipped a beat. Oh. Okay. Huh. But she was beautiful and lovely and all he ever wanted--

Deep, deep in his heart, far too deep for his mind to pick up and recognize, his heart beat _blue eyes dirty blonde hair long fingers covered in rings dark coat imposing and his_ for one, deep beat.

Becky watched his face, “You wanted me, but you didn’t _want_ me, Dave.”

Dave’s hands shook and he flattened them against the table, “But, I love you. Of course I--Of course I...want you.”

“Love and being _in_ love are two very different things.”

Dave’s hands continued to shake even against the tabletop. She was right. Of course she was right, she was always right. But how could this have slipped by him? He was smart--a genius some might say. But he was so, so dumb.

“God I’m an idiot.” Dave dropped his head into his hands.

Becky laughed, “Yes, but you’re my idiot. You’re a good person, Dave. And I do love you--”

“But as a friend.” Dave sighed and dropped his hands from his face, “I get that. I love you, too. I’m still hurting, but I don’t want to lose you.”

“Then let’s learn to be friends.” For the first time in the conversation, Dave looked up and smiled. Yeah, okay. Okay. He could try and do that.


	2. Chapter 2

“So what do you think of Jessie?” Becky thumbed through Instagram on her phone, relaxing against the back of a bench that bordered one side of the park. Dave, having just taken a sip from his coffee next to hear, spluttered the coffee all down his shirt.

“What? Jessie?” Dave mumbled and waved his hand over the coffee stain on his jacket absentmindedly, lifting the stain from the fibers immediately.

“Yeah. She’s cute! And she likes you.” Becky glanced to her left to see how Dave would take that information.

Dave blinked and stared down at the top of his coffee cup, “Really?”

“Really.” Becky put her phone in her pocket and turned on the bench to face Dave, “Would you go out with her? I can set it up. It’ll be coffee! No pressure. Just to see if...you know, if you click?”

Dave shrugged and turned the cup between his hands. Would he go out with her? He thought back to meeting Jessie just yesterday at one of Becky’s parties. She was cute, he had to admit. Shoulder length blonde hair

_ too blonde too soft _

deep blue eyes that curved when she smiled

_ no spark no brightness _

and she had laughed at his jokes.

“Yeah,” Dave decided, “Yeah, I’d go out with her.”

Becky smiled and lurched forward to hug him, “Good! I want you to be happy, Dave.”

Dave hugged her back and, a month after their coffee shop talk, felt none of the usual nervousness he had thought was attraction, “Me, too—believe it or not.”

_o_o_o_

When Jessie opened the door to her apartment, Dave was struck by how gorgeous she looked. She had curled her hair and pinned it up, framing her face. She had done something amazing to her eyes that made them bluer than any blue he had seen before, dark smudges under and a sharp line on the upper lid.

“What do you think?” Jessie asked, grabbing a coat off the hook by the door and stepping out into the hallway.

A second too late, Dave realized he was supposed to say something, “Gorgeous! I mean, you look amazing--beautiful. I think you look lovely.”

Jessie giggled and slipped her arm through his, “Thank you. And you’re so warm! How do you stay so warm in New York? I’m jealous.”

Dave shrugged, “Just warm blooded, I guess?” Jessie giggled again. She did a lot of giggling, Dave decided. He...liked it? Maybe. She  _ was _ laughing at his jokes.

“We can go to the coffee place down the street--they’ve just started serving their seasonal blends.” Jessie squeezed his arm as they entered the stairwell. She was only on the third floor, but was she going to hang on him the whole time down the stairs? Dave tensed as they walked down the first flight and Jessie continued to hang on his arm. Yes, yes apparently she was.

“Awesome.” They exited the building and walked the few short blocks to the coffee place, Jessie on his arm the whole time.

They had coffee and pastries and, as the evening went on, Dave realized he liked this girl. Now that she wasn’t hanging on him and giggling at everything he said.

“So you’re a philosophy major?” Dave asked, stirring sugar into his second cup of coffee.

“Yeah! It’s...tense, but I love it. Lots of room to grow and struggle. It’s a weird appeal, but it fits me.” Jessie smiled and tugged her jacket closer around her arms. Even inside the coffee shop, November in New York was freezing.

“That’s awesome--that’s a great attitude. I wish more students had that!” Dave laughed, “I have sections right now where only three people show up. I’ve got twenty on my roll, but I think I’ve seen...fourteen, total?”

“You teach?” Jessie’s eyes went wide. Dave couldn’t help but notice that it caused her eyes to slip into a lighter blue and maybe--

_ “Focus, Dave. Clear your mind--” _

\--Jessie continued, “That’s amazing!”

Dave shook his head, “Thank you. It’s part of being a graduate student, though, you know? Got to get in those hours. Besides, I think I’m lucky. I’ve got friends who don’t have anyone show up.”

“Friends” was maybe stretching it--perhaps colleagues, but they got on okay. The other graduate students were just as busy as he was. Well, perhaps busier. They didn’t have his innate magical understanding of physics. Then again, they also didn’t have nightly magic lessons with a perpetual grump--

_ “Focus, Dave.” _

Dave shook his head and realized Jessie was talking, “--graduate student? Wow! Becky didn’t mention that. You can’t be that older than us, though?”

“Same age--just...well, I really like school, you know?” Dave shrugged and laughed to cover his nervousness.

“Wow,” Jessie said again, her eyelids lowering as she stretched a hand out to run it lightly down Dave’s arm, “That’s...impressive. Maybe you can help me with my homework? We can go back to my place.”

Dave’s mouth dropped open and he looked down at the hand on his arm. What. What? What!

“Uuuh..” Dave coughed and jumped out of his seat, “I just remembered! I have to--have to--uuuuh, I’ll call you!” Dave all but ran out of the cafe, stumbling over an ill placed table leg before careening out of the door.

Jessie, her hand still half-raised, tilted her head before shrugging and calmly returning to her coffee.

_o_o_o_

“So not Jessie, huh?” Becky twirled a lock of her hair around her finger as she reclined in one of the few chairs still left standing in Dave’s workplace (more Balthazar’s home at this point, but Dave figured it was important to set boundaries even if it was in his own head).

“Who’s Jessie?” Balthazar asked as, with a lazy flick, he sent another inanimate object screeching across the floor and into Dave.

Dave grunted at the impact, only marginally lessened by his flimsy excuse for a shield, “Can we talk about this later? My bruises have bruises and I’m trying to concentrate.”

Becky sighed, ignoring Dave and answering Balthazar, “She went out with Dave last week. I thought they’d hit it off, but apparently he left her at the cafe, said he’d call her, and then dropped off the face of the earth.”

Balthazar chuckled. It was a deep, throaty puff of air and Dave felt his insides lift at the sound before abruptly being reminded that Balthazar could do more than one thing at once as the table he had been previously accosted with jerked back before ramming him again.

“Oh god ouch,” Dave winced, hopping on one leg and grasping his shin, “That really hurt, Balthazar.”

Balthazar shrugged, “Don’t lower your shield next time.”

“It takes a lot of energy!”

“Which is why you shouldn’t lower it--you need to build up your stamina.”

Dave winced, but set his foot down and braced himself, calling up a thin glimmer around his body. Balthazar nodded once--high approval, Dave couldn’t help but smile--before slamming the table back into him.

Dave grunted, but didn’t drop his shield. He was so focused on not dropping it, that he almost missed Becky and Balthazar continuing the conversation.

“So he ditched her, huh?” Balthazar dropped down into another chair, his coat billowing about dramatically. Dave had enough attention to spare to roll his eyes--that was not natural, there was no air flow down here. Such a drama queen.

As if sensing his thoughts, Balthazar flicked his wrist slightly and Dave felt the only remaining chair fly into his unprotected back, “Okay, okay--no. If you’re going to be talking about me, then I get to participate.”

Dave dropped his shield and sidestepped away from the table and chair colliding, grabbing the chair once it dropped to the floor and dragging it over to Balthazar and Becky.

Balthazar raised an eyebrow, “And exactly who is the master, here?”

Dave rolled his own eyes in response, “Yeah, yeah. I’ll be here early tomorrow to make it up.” Balthazar narrowed his eyes and, in retaliation, twitched his fingers so that the chair Dave was sitting on upended him. Becky giggled and Dave grumbled before righting the chair and retaking his seat.

“But yes, he did ditch her.” Becky replied to Balthazar’s earlier statement. She gently elbowed Dave in the ribs and Dave had the decency to blush.

“I didn’t mean to! It was just...well, she was nice, but…” Dave shrugged and crossed his arms.

“That’s not how you have a date, Dave.” Balthazar said with a slight grin.

“Yes, I know. Won’t do that again.”

“What, ditch her or date?”

“Yes.” Dave slouched and Balthazar laughed at his response. Dave’s stomach twisted and then lifted at the sound, but Dave figured it was his dislike of the conversation causing his insides to rearrange.

“Well, it’s okay. I’ve got someone else for you. Her name is Diane and she’s the sister of one of Lionel’s friends. I think you’ll like her!” Becky tugged her phone out of her jeans and scrolled through her Instagram before flipping the phone over to show Balthazar and Dave the picture she had landed on. It was of three people--Lionel, Diane, and someone Dave figured must have been Diane’s brother.

“So you’re dragging Lionel into this, huh?” Dave asked slyly, his turn to gently elbow Becky in the ribs. Becky blushed but didn’t immediately reply, instead forcing the picture even closer to the other two.

“He’s happy to help. He wants to make me happy and I want to make you happy, so...yes, he’s helping.” Becky finally stated. She had been going out with Lionel for just a few weeks, but already they had an ease to their relationship. Dave was happy for her. He probably wouldn’t have been just a month ago, but now...he was happy for her.

“She’s pretty, Dave. That’s a plus.” Balthazar had leaned in towards the phone, “And her brother is a looker, too. And Lionel, of course--good for you, Becky.” Balthazar pushed off his knees and stood up, “But if that’s it for training, I’ll be going on a supply run. That dog of yours will eat me out of house and home.”

“It’s not technically your house, to be fair.” Dave replied, watching Balthazar stroll over to his marked out space and pick up his wallet.

“Ah, but it is my home. See you two.” Balthazar gave a quick wave before taking the stairs two at a time. He opened the door just wide enough for a breeze to hit Dave squarely in the chest before he was gone.

Dave shivered and coughed, “Jerk!” He yelled. Becky raised an eyebrow and Dave continued, “He totally did that on purpose--no way that breeze should have gotten through my heat charm.”

Becky grinned, “Just trying to keep you on your toes, I suppose--” she shoved the picture back under Dave’s nose, “But what do you think? Can I set it up?”

Dave looked at the picture with a bit more concentration. Lionel, he knew--strong jaw, coiffed hair, and bright brown eyes. Classically handsome and perfect for Becky. The other two in the picture were clearly siblings. Both had ash brown hair to their shoulders, but the boy had his in a ponytail while the girl let hers run free. Dark blue eyes and large grins--they were both, as Balthazar said, clearly attractive.

“Oh? Oh! Yes...yes, they both totally are. You’re right.” Becky said, pulling her phone back to herself and flipping it over to look at it. Dave realized he must have said that last part out loud. Becky’s face scrunched and Dave recognized it as her thinking face.

“I know that look,” Dave said with a sigh, “What are you thinking? I’ll go out on a date with her, if that’s what you’re worried about. She is nice looking and if she’s related to one of Lionel’s friends, chances are she’s nice, too.”

Becky continued to frown, “Yes. She is...but, look. Forget about her. I have a different idea.”

Dave chuckled, “Uuuh...okay? What?”

Becky’s face lost the frown and she smiled, “Do you trust me, Dave?”

“Yes?” Dave squeaked.

“Good. Then you do have a date. Tomorrow at 5pm--just trust me, I think you’ll enjoy it.” Becky stood up and leaned down to briefly peck his cheek before running up the stairs and out the door. Dave, dazed, shrugged his shoulders to himself. It wasn’t often he was alone in his own lab, so he figured he could take the time to work on his physics project. A few hours later, when Balthazar strode in from his errands, he found Dave completely embroiled in circuitry.

“So no time to train, but time to study?” Dave shot up at the comment and Balthazar smiled to himself. That kid lost himself whenever he was working on a project--he was passionate, Balthazar would give him that.

“What? No--no! Just, uh...look, I’ll go. I’ll be here tomorrow morning!” Dave, embarrassed at being caught with no warning, felt his face heat up.

“It’s fine, Dave. School is important, too. Just teasing, no worries.” Balthazar set his bags on a nearby counter that was bolted into the floor. He shook the box of dog treats he had just purchased and Tank waddled out from underneath the camping bed, drooling and whining, “Yes, you greedy thing.” Balthazar handed him a dog biscuit and Tank sank to the floor happily to chew on it.

Dave watched Balthazar put away the rest of the groceries and items he had bought, tucking the milk and cheese into the cupboard he’d magicked into a pseudo-fridge. Watching the older man do something so domestic was...nice. His chest melted a little and Dave felt the blush on his cheeks get even worse. He knew Balthazar was human--he’d seen proof of it. He bled, he fought, he got angry just like everyone else. But to see him so gentle with Tank and to need such ordinary things like milk...it made Dave think of him not just as human, but as just as human as he was. It put him into reach, as if Dave could--

_ bright spark blue dirty blonde hair calloused fingers so warm _

Dave blinked and froze. What? What was that? Balthazar, as if sensing his turmoil, twisted around to look at him, “You okay there, Dave?”

Dave blinked again, his eyes darting from Balthazar’s to his hair to his hands to his  _ fingers _ , “Yes! Fine, just fine. I have to, ah, I really do have to go. I’ll...see you...later?” Dave hightailed it out of the underground space. Taking a minute once the door closed behind him, he breathed in the cold air, deliberately not warming it before it hit his lungs. The breath helped center him. It was nothing--just idle thoughts. With that decided, Dave tucked his hands into his pockets and walked on.


	3. Chapter 3

Dave walked into the bar and just stood in the doorway, unsure. He pulled his phone out of his pocket to re-read the text Becky had sent him: _You’re meeting your date at Downtown Brew. Don’t worry, you’ll have fun! Just enter and then let your date find you._

“Just enter, huh?” Dave whispered to himself. He stood in the doorway, feeling like an idiot, until the person behind him who was still stuck in the doorway coughed loud enough that Dave jumped and hastily moved out of the way.

“People aren’t always the most polite, huh?” A voice said directly to his left.

“Well, I guess I was in her way.” Dave laughed and turned to face the speaker.

Oh. _Oh_. Oh, okay. Well. That was...that was different.

Dark eyes curved as full lips smiled at him, “Hi--I think I’m your date.”

Dave glanced at the hand offered to him. He had a second to think that maybe this wasn’t right, that maybe he didn’t fit in this narrative, before metaphorically shrugging--what had he to lose at this point?

“Hi, I’m Dave. And I guess I am.” Dave smiled and reached out to grab the offered hand, shaking it briefly. It was warm and stronger than he was used to.

“It’s nice to meet you, Dave. My name is Jason.”

_o_o_o_

The date was going well, Dave thought. Very well. At the bar, they had a few drinks together and Dave felt an ease with Jason he hadn’t felt before on first dates. Jason was charming, easy to talk to, and, after his third beer Dave was brave enough to admit it to himself, also easy on the eyes.

Not that, in the dark corner of the hallway that led to his apartment door, he could really confirm that at the moment. Dave gasped as teeth nipped at his neck and hands pressed warm under his shirt against the skin of his sides. He tangled his hands more firmly in Jason’s hair, tugging and then hissing through his teeth at the answering bite. The hand on his right side slipped lower, palming his hip (and his ass, Dave realized with a groan) before curving into his knee and hiking his leg across broad hips.

“Oh!” Dave breathed harshly around a groan and his hips jerked up and against an answering thrust. Jason laughed against his throat before tilting his head back up and sealing his lips over Dave’s. Dave groaned again into the kiss and arched his back away from the wall, trailing his hands down from the other man’s hair and wrapping them around Jason’s neck to bring their lips even more impossibly closer. Jason’s breath hitched and he licked into Dave’s mouth violently, shoving himself against Dave who slammed back into the wall. Dave’s balance was shot, the only thing keeping him upright was the warm body before him and between his legs.

Jason shifted, licking at Dave’s tongue and his left hand moving back and down to firmly grope just below the small of Dave’s back. The shift brought an answering hardness to grind painfully good against Dave’s own and Dave broke away from the kiss to moan breathily, a name shooting out from his mouth as he once again spoke without ever thinking, “Balth--”

Dave’s throat constricted and he dropped his hands and leg, pushing Jason away with both hands on his chest and slamming his own body as firmly against the wall as he could go.

“What is it? What’s wrong? Are you okay?” Jason had both his hands up and took a step back, away from Dave. Dave’s eyes were wide and he was shaking, both hands still outstretched. Jason, breathing hard, creased his forehead in worry, “Dave? Are you okay? I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

Dave shuddered and blinked, not moving other than that for a few seconds, “I’m...fine. No, you were perfect. Great. It’s me--I just, I’m sorry.”

Jason dropped his hands and shrugged, giving Dave an easy smile, “No worries, man. I had a great time tonight--I don’t know what’s up with you, but I’d be happy to see you again.”

Dave smiled shakily and stood up straighter, “Thanks. I appreciate it.”

Jason’s smile grew and he took a step towards Dave. When Dave didn’t tense up, Jason took another step closer and put his hands on Dave’s shoulders, “Whatever that was, I hope you are okay.” He leaned down and dropped a kiss onto Dave’s lips.

Dave started at the contact, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. A few seconds ago, it was as far as uncomfortable as it could get, “Yeah--me, too. I had a great time. A really great time.”

“Call me, okay? If you’re up for it.” Jason squeezed his shoulders once before turning around and walking down the hallway to the elevator. Dave slumped against the wall behind him as he heard the elevator doors close.

The hell had that been? What--what was he even _thinking_.

No. Dave shook his head and picked himself up, walking towards the door of his apartment. It wasn’t anything. Just...hormones. It was normal. You spend a lot of time with someone and it happens. That’s all.

Dave fit the key into the lock and stepped across the threshold, putting thoughts of _sparkling blue dirty blonde dark black coat smell of cinnamon at winter--_ firmly away.

_o_o_o_ 

“You’re not focusing, Dave--come on! This is simple.” Balthazar was on edge and his voice rose icily as he threw another plasma bolt at Dave. Dave threw his hands up and attempted to deflect the bolt, but instead it flew straight past his hands and towards his chest. Balthazar growled and flicked his right hand, causing the bolt to twist to the left and narrowly miss Dave. Dave, braced for the impact, cut off a shout. When no impact came, he lowered his arms and gasped for breath.

“I am trying, Balthazar.” Dave gasped out, leaning his hands on his knees as he bent over double trying to catch his breath.

“Not hard enough. You’re better than this, Dave. What is wrong with you?” Balthazar threw his own hands up into the air and stalked away from the still burning Merlinian circle, rummaging through his things and harshly pulling out a book from a stack on a nearby table.

Dave growled in frustration, “I’m going through a lot right now, okay? Just cut me some slack.”

“Cut you some slack? Dave, you know you’re not safe. You know we’ve still got enemies out there and you want me to ‘cut you some slack’? Why? So you can die peaceful and relaxed never having to worry about straining yourself during training?” Balthazar threw the book back on the table, his eyes flashing angry now. Dave had been pushing his buttons throughout training, Dave knew it and Balthazar knew it, but still Balthazar’s own reaction shocked him. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply through his nose.

Dave watched the other man try to compose himself with not a little guilt. He’d been poking fun at magic, at sorcery, at the training, at about anything and everything he knew Balthazar held in high esteem. It was almost as if he wanted the older man to be angry, to get riled up, to get to the point of frustration that Dave felt himself simmering at since two nights ago when Jason--

Well, no sense dwelling on that.

Balthazar took another steadying breath, “Look, Dave. You’ve got a lot on your shoulders, I know. This is important--training is important. It needs to be one of your priorities.”

Dave sighed and stepped out of the Merlinian circle, “I know. I’m sorry--I’ve not been in the best mood today. Just...stuff. It’s no excuse, I know--I’ll get over it.”

Balthazar gave a tired grin, “Did the date with Diane not go well?”

Dave had about a second to look confused before bursting out laughing.

Balthazar quirked an eyebrow, but waited for Dave to calm before asking, “Is that a yes or a no?”

Still smiling, Dave replied, “The date went well, for sure. But it wasn’t with Diane.”

Balthazar’s lips turned down in confusion and he rolled one hand in a circle to prompt Dave to continue. Dave blushed and Balthazar raised an eyebrow--well then, this would be interesting, he figured.

“It...ah, it wasn’t with Diane. Becky decided to surprise me, and boy it was a surprise.” Dave began to ramble, but quickly leapt to the end when he saw Balthazar’s face, “It was with her brother--Jason. I went out with him, instead. The other guy in the picture. Not Lionel, obviously.”

For the first time since...well, since Dave could remember, Balthazar looked shocked, “Oh,” Balthazar quickly shook the emotion off, though, “Well, good. He was good looking. Good. So it went well?”

Dave stuck his hands in his pockets and nervously nodded, “It did--yeah. I think I’m going to see him again.”

Balthazar’s hands curled into fists at his sides, but Dave didn’t notice, “That’s good. I’m glad. Just don’t let it distract you from training.”

Dave blushed and nodded, “You’re okay with this? Me, him...the dating?”

Balthazar’s fists slowly unclenched and he smiled. A real smile, Dave thought, his heart fluttering and in the back of his head he groaned with despair because here’s another image that he was sure would come up at all the worst times.

“It’s fine, Dave. You don’t live for hundreds of years to become a prude.” Balthazar chuckled and Dave’s knees went weak and--nope, nope, eject. He was out. This was not the time and certainly not the place.

“Okay, good. Then--I’ll see you later. I’ve got to go. Class soon, right?” Dave skipped over to the stairs and had his left foot on the first step when he felt a hand close on his wrist.

Balthazar’s hand wasn’t just warm, it was burning. A slow heat that ate away at the cold Dave didn’t even realize he was carrying around with him. His palm had landed on Dave’s wrist and he felt fingers curl around his own hand, gluing him to the stair rail with calloused fingers and heavy rings, “It’s really okay, Dave. I, myself...well. There’s only so long you can wait for the love of your life to be released from an unreleasable spell.”

Dave swallowed and he was concerned to feel a groan bubbling out of his throat. The strong hand and the warmth and then the _words_ were a little too much, a little too...good. Dave cleared his throat and moved his hand, ruining the contact and leaving him feeling much colder than he had a moment ago despite his heating spell, “Thank you, Balthazar.”

And then he was up the stairs and gone.

_o_o_o_

On their second date, they never made it to the hallway in Dave’s apartment building. A disappointment to Dave, certainly, but he knew it was his own fault. Jason had, again, been charming and handsome and perfect. But when he had leaned down to kiss him, all Dave could think about was not him. Just--

 _blue blue black coat and a smile, god, a smile burning right through him and deep into him and_ \--

It didn’t seem fair. To him or Jason. They ended the date on amicable terms, but Dave knew he probably wouldn’t be seeing him romantically again. A shame--his, of course, but one nevertheless.


	4. Chapter 4

One of the few rules Balthazar had hammered into Dave was that he wasn’t to train in the Merlinian circle without him. Wasn’t supposed to train without him at all, really. It wasn’t safe--he was still too relatively new at the sorcery gig and could end up hurting himself, razing the building down around him, or shifting reality so far from normal that it would be a headache to put right again if even it could.

So Dave knew what he was doing was a no-no. A big no-no. But he was frustrated and angry and it was all directed at himself and he needed an outlet. He couldn’t talk to Becky even though she had texted him the day after the second date with Jason asking if he was okay and if he wanted to talk. He knew if he talked to Becky, he’d tell her everything and he wasn’t really sure what “everything” really was at this point.

_ Blue blue blue blue blue--smile, and a laugh, a deep laugh warm  _ and Dave felt a warmth flow from his chest outward and it hurt too much to be a good feeling, but it also made him so happy that he couldn’t imagine it being a bad thing but--

Dave yelled and called electricity to both his hands, the power white hot and larger than anything he’d ever called out before. He couldn’t stop and the power kept building and growing and he was so  _ done _ and so confused and he just wanted--

He screamed again and threw the power in both his hands at the wall. The lightning slammed into the wall and scored a deep, black hole in the brick with its own high pitched whine. The lightning kept bursting and the energy kept coming and the spot on the wall grew bigger, cracks running up to the ceiling and down to the foundation. Tank, safely ensconced under the cot on the other side of the room, whimpered but Dave couldn’t hear him over his own screaming and the high note of the lightning hissing.

“Dave!” With a gasp, Dave’s scream ended and the power from his hands dwindled into soft sparks and then into nothing. He wavered, his strength gone, and collapsed onto one knee and both hands. He clawed at the pocket on the front of his hoodie and slipped the dragon ring back onto his finger. The coolness of the metal was comforting and the magical artifact eased some of his exhausted ache.

“What in the hell do you think you’re doing?” Dave had momentarily forgotten about the shout that had drawn him out of his rage induced magicking, but twisted sharply to look at the man thundering down the stairs.

Balthazar was, in a word, pissed. His eyes were flashing and there were telltale sparks of his own flashing across his knuckles and fingertips. His black coat was whipping around his ankles and his shoulders seemed to be vibrating with fury.

“Balthazar--I, uh. I’m just…”

“Being an idiot!” Balthazar yelled back, landing with both feet onto the concrete floor before advancing on Dave, “You know, Dave, you  _ know _ you shouldn’t practice without me.”

Dave sighed and tried to get up, but his knees were too weak to carry him just yet, “I do, I’m sorry. I just--”

“Just nothing, Dave. Look at the wall, for crying out loud.” Balthazar had finally reached him, bending down to tug him to his feet. Dave winced, expecting to be manhandled, but Balthazar was surprisingly gentle, throwing one of Dave’s arms around his shoulders and pulling him close as he walked him across the space.

Dave’s will was gone. He was exhausted and didn’t have the energy to mentally compartmentalize what he was thinking. Balthazar felt so good against his side--the warmth of his body and the coolness of the leather. He turned his head and breathed in, the cinnamon smell of Christmas he associated the man with mixing with the heady scent of well-worn leather from his coat.

Balthazar shook him as they continued their slow walk, “Don’t fall asleep on me now, Dave--let me get you to the cot, first. You expended way too much energy and almost took the whole wall down. You’ll get to rest as soon as we get you down, but you’re definitely helping me to fix that.”

Dave sighed and hadn’t realized his eyes had closed before he attempted to open one. He barely managed to open it for a second, but it was enough to see the cracked and blacked concave mess that had once been a sturdy underground wall. It would be hell to fix, but he definitely deserved the punishment.

“Sorry,” Dave mumbled into Balthazar’s shoulder. Balthazar sighed and the fight seemed to flow out of him at the movement.

“You could have hurt yourself, kid.” They finally reached Balthazar’s bed and Dave felt himself being gently lowered down onto it.

“I know. ‘M really sorry.” Dave mumbled, not really awake anymore and curling onto his side. Balthazar shook his head and gently extracted his arm from underneath Dave. As he pulled it away, Dave reached out and caught his arm with more energy than Balthazar would have guessed Dave still had, “Stay. Please? You’re good--you make me...make me feel better.”

Balthazar stood shock still, his eyes once again wide in shock, though Dave wasn’t awake enough to laugh at it this time. Hearing Dave start to snore, Balthazar gently disentangled the kid’s fingers from his arm. Staring down at him for a second, Balthazar sighed again before calling a chair over to him and picking up a book to read while he waited for Dave to wake up.

_o_o_o_

Dave woke up in small, painful stages. He became aware of his eyes--dry and gritty and agonizingly heavy. He tried lifting his arm to rub at the aching sockets, but if he had thought his eyelids were heavy, it was nothing to the weight of his arms. He breathed deeply, gathering his strength. He was hit immediately with cinnamon and that clean, winter smell he really only associated with holidays and one person. Resigning himself to gross crusty eyes but taking another breath to steal away strength, Dave managed to summon the will to crack one eye open slowly.

His eye focused slowly and the blurry shape in front of him slowly coalesced into a shoe inches from his face. Dragging his sight up, he saw the man in question tipped back in a chair by his beside, an ancient looking book haphazardly laying across his lap and seemingly randomly open as the older man’s gaze was instead fixed on a folded piece of paper. Dave scrunched his eye up, his cheek nuzzling deeper into the blankets and releasing another whiff of what Dave maybe was just sleepy enough to admit was one of the most amazing smells.

Dave recognized that paper. It was creased down the middle and the top had an old-fashioned wax seal. It was the same--no, not the same, just similar to the one he had seen months ago. Another paper letter? Who was sending him these things?

“Awake, I see. Finally.”

Dave blinked open his other eye and pushed a noise out of his dry mouth. He had meant to say something sarcastic, but instead it just came out as a pained groan.

“I’d imagine you’re feeling a bit under the weather. Perhaps, in the future, you’ll refrain from not only magically exhausting yourself, but breaking one of the few rules I’ve given you?” Balthazar flicked the letter he was reading closed and placed it and the book down on the foot of the camping bed where Dave was still struggling to move.

“Ugh...yes.” Dave dragged the word out as he finally managed to get his arms underneath his body before trying to push himself into a sitting position. Instead, his elbows wobbled and gave out on him.

“Hey, just take it slow.” Balthazar caught him before he landed face first back onto the cot and steadied him into a sitting position with his back against the wall. Dave, still really too out of it and not in control or to be blamed for his inability to control himself, breathed in as Balthazar’s shoulder pressed against him. While the smell from the blankets was comforting, the cinnamon winter of the actual man himself had Dave biting back a groan.

Now that he was sitting up, some of Dave’s mental capacity came back to him and he shook the thoughts  _ smell so good bright comfort  _ out of his head and swallowed a few times to wet his throat before speaking, “What exactly happened?”

Balthazar sat back in the chair and raised an eyebrow at him, “What exactly do you remember?”

Dave raised a shaky hand to his head and scratched at his forehead, “I remember you yelling at me. I was...doing something...bad?” Dave rubbed at his eyes and worked the sleep from them before he suddenly realized, “Oh. Crap--right, I was practicing without you.”

“Practicing is probably too fine of a word to call what you were doing, Dave.” Balthazar said dryly indicating what was left of the wall with a nod of his head. Dave sheepishly glanced at the wall as, because his life was a cosmic joke, one of the tiles near the ceiling finally gave in and dropped to shatter on the blackened floor with a loud crash.

“Uuuugh, yes. Whoops. I’m sorry?” Dave finally felt like he could stand and dropped his feet to the ground, testing to see if they would take his weight before stumbling to his feet.

“Sorry isn’t really going to cut it here, Dave. The whole reason you’re not supposed to practice without me is this right here. What if I hadn’t been here? What if you had just kept pumping out energy until you had none?” Balthazar jerked unconsciously towards the younger man when Dave started to stand, but stopped himself from helping. Dave could take care of himself.

“Yes, you’re right. I am sorry, really. I won’t do it again.” Dave was trying very hard not to roll his eyes. He was an adult--he was a little too old for the patronizing “what if” speeches. He took one step forward before his legs wobbled and his knees gave out just enough that he had to windmill his arms and landed sideways back on the cot.

Okay, maybe he wasn’t too old after all. Dave heard Balthazar sigh in exasperation and he winced guilty, “Maybe just take a minute, Dave. You did just faint from overuse of magic a few hours ago. Rest.” Dave had a second to nod and be grateful for his master’s uncharacteristic compassion before Balthazar continued, “After all, you’ll need all the magic you have to fix that wall later on today.”

Dave groaned and pushed himself up into a sitting position again, though this time with no thoughts to anything farther than that. Fixing with magic took a whole lot more concentration than breaking with magic and Dave could already feel the headache coming on. He shifted to get more comfortable, reaching down to pull the book and letter that Balthazar had been reading out from underneath his right thigh. Glancing down at the letter, Dave had just meant to put it somewhere safe, but accidentally and immediately he saw the signature line, “Veronica?”

Balthazar snatched the letter out of his hands and tucked it into a pocket in his coat, “Yes.”

Dave waited a full fifteen seconds for Balthazar to elaborate before asking, “She’s writing you...letters?”

Balthazar let out a deep breath and brought one hand to his face, rubbing harshly, “Yes, Dave. She’s writing me letters.”

Dave only waited five seconds this time, “And…?”

“And I don’t think it’s really any of your business.” Balthazar dropped his hands from his face and stood up, kicking the chair back with his foot before his magic carried it the rest of the way back to the other side of the room.

“Well, yeah. I guess it isn’t. I just thought...well, she’s been back for months now. Why is she writing you letters? Isn’t she, like, in town?” Dave waved his hands to indicate the underground, but, he hoped, also the entirety of New York. He was somewhat ashamed to say that he had lost track of Veronica after the whole world saving thing. He knew she had gone with Balthazar and that, for a while after, he had seen her in the underground workshop. But eventually, he had stopped seeing her--Dave had thought she had gotten her own apartment, but surely if she was still living in New York she’d be close enough to communicate through something other than letters?

Balthazar walked across the space to the cabinets that he used to store his snacks and Tank’s biscuits. Tank, knowing few things but knowing this, snuffled and waddled his way from his perpetual haunt underneath the cot and over towards where Balthazar was shaking out a few treats. Dave knew better than to push this time, so he just sat and waited for Balthazar to talk. It gave him a little bit more time to gather his strength before having to tackle the crater that used to be a wall.

After a few minutes of silence, Balthazar sighed one more time before speaking, “She’s traveling the world. Seeing everything she’s missed, getting reacquainted--I was only gone for ten years, but she’s been gone for hundreds. She’s missed a lot.” Balthazar tossed the treats to Tank and turned around to face Dave, leaning back on the bolted table behind him, “It’s hard, Dave, after something like that. She’s the same person--still beautiful and kind and loving and perfect. But me? I’m different--I’ve lived so long without her and maybe that’s just an insurmountable thing between us. She was the love of my life, but that was lifetimes ago.”

While talking, Balthazar had looked down and closed his eyes. Having this conversation made him feel vulnerable enough that eye contact would have been unbearable. The touch on his arm was, therefore, enough to startle him into a defensive crouch and to slam up a shield.

“Woah, woah! Sorry--! I just wanted to--well, not that. I didn’t mean to startle you.” Dave backed up, still a little shaky, with both hands up in a placating motion.

Balthazar breathed out deeply and dropped the shield, “Sorry--reflexes. I didn’t expect you to be there.”

Dave shrugged and managed a small smile, “I forgot you’ve been basically living in a warzone for years. I’ll be more careful.”

Balthazar rolled his eyes, “Just don’t sneak up on me and we’ll be okay.”

“I can do that.” Dave smiled.


	5. Chapter 5

“So it didn’t work out with Jason, huh?” Becky unhooked the leash from Tank’s harness just in time for him to waddle over to the crowd of other small, vaguely loaf looking dogs all clustered around smelling each other hello.

Dave rubbed the back of his neck, “It wasn’t really like that. I had fun! You were right about that. It’s just...I dunno.”

“So yes to dudes, but maybe a different dude?” Becky and Dave walked back to the gate that bordered the off-leash section of the dog park, circling back to a picnic table right on the edge so they could still keep an eye on Tank while he played with the other dogs.

“Honestly, I don’t even know if I can really go out with anyone right now. My thesis is due pretty soon and I really need to be focusing on my paper and project. And training with Balthazar--I’ve been kind of neglecting that while having my gay crisis.” Dave gestured wildly, though he dropped his voice to an almost whisper at the end.

Becky laughed, “Well, okay. I just want you to be happy, Dave.”

“I know--thank you.” Dave smiled back, “I am happy, really. I’ve got you and Tank. And Balthazar. He’s a cranky old man, but he’s my cranky old man.”

“Yours?” Becky asked with a raised eyebrow. Dave immediately blushed, but turned away so she hopefully wouldn’t see.

“Yeah--ours. Mine, yours, Tank’s. He’s ours.” Dave mumbled and Becky absolutely saw the blush as it trailed down his neck. Becky’s mouth twisted and, if Dave had been looking her way, he would have called it her up to something face.

“Hey Dave?” Becky asked, her mouth slipping back into a smile and her voice saccharine sweet.

Dave was immediately weary, “Yes?”

“I know you’re busy, but I’ve got one last person I want you to meet. Can you make some time on Saturday?” Becky smiled sweetly up at him and Dave, despite the warning signals his mind was trying to send him, hesitantly nodded.

“Okay, one more date. But then I’m done for a while, I think.”

_o_o_o_

Dave is eternally grateful to Becky. “So you teach economics?”

The man before him grinned and pushed a few strands of dirty blonde hair  _ calloused fingers and cold rings and that laugh god it made him ache _ away from his eyes, “Yeah--I’m an adjunct professor, but I was doing a favor for a friend and giving a lecture in one of his professional music courses.”

“Well that’s luck.” Dave grinned back. He didn’t really know how Becky had turned this work contact into a social contact that would be willing to go out on a date with her random friend, but he figured Becky was charming enough that most people bent to her will eventually. She had set them up to meet at a bar, standing room only as a live band played softly in the corner.

“I’m told you’re into physics?”

“Yes, very much into physics. My thesis is due pretty soon, actually, at the end of the semester. I’ll be pretty glad when that part is over.” Dave chuckled and the man across from him chuckled back. He had introduced himself as Dylan and Dave thought he looked the part of a professor perfectly--he had tweed with elbow patches and glasses over light brown eyes  _ blue blue blue blue _ and a casual air of a professional who knew his business.

“That’s got to be stressful. I’m glad I’m past those days.” Dylan’s eyes glinted behind his glasses and Dave spent a moment to wonder just how much older than him Dylan was. Ten years? Fifteen? Twenty? Dave shivered and found himself more excited the higher the number went.

Well. That was...new?  _ Blue blue dark coat cold rings warm fingers, “Dave.” _

“Dave,” Dylan continued, “This was wonderful, but I feel like I don’t really want the night to end--would you like to accompany me to dinner?”

Dave glanced at his watch and saw that it was 8:30pm, a little late for dinner. But…”Yes, yes I would like that.”

_o_o_o_

Their first date ended chastely with Dylan walking him to the door of his apartment building, but leaving him to walk to his door on his own. Dave wasn't necessarily disappointed, but he wasn’t necessarily happy about it, either.

Their second date, he hoped, would end slightly differently.

But first he had to survive his training session with Balthazar. Dave flicked his wrist, his dragon ring heavy on his finger as he tried to focus the air in front of him into a ball of fire.

Balthazar walked the perimeter of the circle, watching his movements carefully with a running commentary of “focus” and “clear your mind” as the white noise for Dave’s attempts. Balthazar had shrugged out of his coat near the beginning of the session and even if Dave hadn’t had his thoughts all twisted about the second date with Dylan, the sight of Balthazar down one layer would have probably done the trick.

Dave’s fingers flickered and a burst of heat licked up his wrist. Dave shouted and waved his hand frantically to get the flames out. Balthazar sliced his hand through the air and the flame immediately extinguished.

“That isn’t what focus looks like, Dave.” Balthazar admonished, walking over and picking at his injured wrist, twisting it back and forth to see the damage.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m working on it.” Dave twitched the fingers of the hand still held captive, torn between tearing it away to save himself dignity and just enjoying the contact.

“Are you going to be this useless at training every time a date goes wrong?” Balthazar, having found no damage, dropped his hand and retreated a safe distance, though still closer than usual.

Dave winced, “Well, no. Actually...well, actually the date went pretty okay.”

Balthazar raised an eyebrow, “Oh? That’s...good, then. Going out with them again, then?”

“Yes--he’s supposed to pick me up in a bit, actually. From here. I didn’t want to miss training and the place he wants to go is closer to here than my apartment…” Dave knew he was rambling again, but it was hard to remember how to shut up under normal circumstances and with Balthazar so close his brain was having trouble telling his mouth to stop.

“So I get to meet the boy who’s caused you to completely foul up your focus, hm?” Balthazar chuckled and finally moved out of Dave’s immediate space. Dave let out a sigh--of relief, disappointment, he really couldn’t say  _ definitely disappointment.  _ “Maybe we should work a little more on the wall before he gets here, then.”

Dave groaned. His concentration was shot and he knew that Balthazar knew that he knew that it was basically impossible to fix anything without focus. Dave grumbled, but at Balthazar’s look, begrudgingly faced the (though slightly better looking) damaged wall. He could do this.

Dave reached out and his magic tumbled away from him to ping into the center of the blast wound, digging the hole slightly deeper and wider. He winced and he heard Balthazar muffle a chuckle.

Well, he could at least try to do it.

_o_o_o_

The doorbell ringing was a salvation. Dave collapsed to his knees, “Oh thank god.”

Balthazar didn’t even bother to stop the chuckle, “Yes, yes. Lucky you. You’re saved before you can make it an even bigger mess.”

Dave mock laughed back at him, “I fixed some of it! It’s smaller, less...burnt. It’s a work in progress.”

The doorbell rang again and Dave picked himself up and hopped over to the stairs and up to the top. Balthazar followed at a slower pace, leaning against the railing at the bottom of the steps.

Dave opened the door and smiled to see Dylan glancing down at his phone and then quickly up again at the sound of the door opening, “Hi!”

Dylan smiled back, “Oh good! I was worried I had the address wrong. It’s kind of..out of the way.”

Dave nodded, “It’s not exactly a sanctioned workspace. But it works! Just give me one second to grab my wallet and keys--I’ll be right back.” Dylan nodded and Dave closed the door lightly. He turned around to grab the wallet and keys he had left on the ledge behind the front door for easy retrieval, but a hand grabbed his wrist before he could stuff them into his pocket.

“That’s him?” Balthazar hiss whispered, eyeing the door that was still open a crack.

Dave stared at the hand still around his wrist. The last time Balthazar had grabbed him, he hadn’t been able to get the feeling out of his mind for weeks. Now, with the hand clasped around him, tighter than before, he realized his memory was a pale reflection of the heat he could now feel seeping up his arm. He had remembered the rings, but not how cool and how hard and how  _ perfect  _ they had felt. He had remembered the callouses, but not how comfortable they had felt rasping against the tender skin on the inside of his wrist.

Lost in his thoughts, it took Dave a second to realize Balthazar was still staring at him, expecting an answer. Dave cleared his suddenly dry throat, “Um. Yes? That’s him?” It came out as a question, but Dave was just proud that his vocal chords managed to work at all.

Balthazar’s eyes flashed  _ blue blue blue perfect _ and his grip tightened minutely. Dave barely managed to suppress a whimper, “ But he’s...he’s  _ old _ , Dave. Way too old for you.”

Oh--what? Wait. Oh.  _ Oh _ . Dave jerked his wrist out of Balthazar’s grip, missing the heat immediately but unwilling to now admit it, “He is  _ not _ . He’s hardly older than me. It’s fine.”

“He’s easily twenty years older than you, Dave.” Balthazar’s whisper was starting to get louder as he gestured agitatedly at the still cracked door.

“So?” Dave roughly shoved his keys and wallet into his pockets, “That means he’s...what? A consenting adult? Oh guess what--so am I!” He shoved his way through Balthazar and then through the door. Dylan, leaning on the side of the building by the door, smiled at him as he exited the doorway and appeared to have completely missed the conversation.

Good, Dave thought. He smiled and reached out to wrap his arm through Dylan’s as they walked towards the place Dylan had picked out for dinner.

Balthazar, left alone at the top of the stairs, had a second to glance in anger--hurt?--anger at the couple before tugging the door harshly closed against the night air.

_o_o_o_

The second date was just as lovely as the first. And, Dave thinks unfortunately, it ended just like the first, too. Dylan walked him to his apartment door, kissed him on the cheek and made plans to see him again. Maybe he was a three date guy, Dave decided as he worked his way into his apartment.

He could work with that.


	6. Chapter 6

After his afternoon class the next day after his date, Dave approached the entrance to the underground lab warily. They had training scheduled that afternoon, but after the way he had left yesterday, he wasn't sure of the reception waiting for him.

Dave rolled his eyes. It was technically his lab space! He wouldn’t be afraid to enter his own lab space. He took a deep breath and reached for the handle, hesitatingly only slightly before pushing the door open and walking down the first set of stairs.

“So how did it go, Dave?” Dave’s heart lurched and he slid down a few stairs in surprise. Balthazar just raised an eyebrow as he glanced up at him from beside the stairs.

“God! Was the creeping around entirely necessary?” Dave pushed a hand against his thumping heart and sagged against the railing.

Balthazar just continued to stare and Dave, feeling uncharacteristically a bit petulant, decided that he’d wait for when he’d damn well please to answer the older man’s question. Calming his breathing, Dave strolled as slowly as he dared down the remaining stairs, Balthazar coming around to meet him as he made it to the floor.

Dave cleared his throat and looked anywhere but at the eyes all but demanding he answer the question already  blue blue blue blue blue-- ”It was great. Awesome. He’s a great guy. An awesome guy. A nice guy.”

Balthazar snorted, “Sure. A guy that age dating someone like you? That’s not a nice guy, Dave.”

Dave clenched his teeth. Balthazar had no right, absolutely  no right , to be judging his romantic choices, “That’s not exactly fair. You don’t even know him.” Dave was proud that the statements came out controlled, but he could feel his throat constricting in anger and he was sure the next words wouldn’t be.

Balthazar laughed--it was not the  happy warm  laugh that Dave had heard sparingly before and secretly treasured, but was a nasty, dark chuckle, “I don’t have to know him. I’ve known people like him and, believe me, his intentions are definitely not pure.”

Dave rolled his eyes and couldn’t stop the strangled angry sound from escaping his lips. He clenched his hands and boxed his shoulders, glaring directly into Balthazar’s own snapping eyes, “That is such a cliche, dude. ‘Older men only want one thing’? Come on--I’m not some wilting teenager, here. Don’t be such a jerk.”

Balthazar’s eyes flashed and he took two steps to close the space between them, his own hands raising up and almost grabbing Dave by the upper arms. Dave could see Balthazar’s jaw clench with his own control, the other man clenching and unclenching his fingers seconds away from trying to shake some sense into the kid.

Dave sucked in a quick breath at the sudden closeness of the other man. This close he could see small gold flecks in the  blue blue blue of the glaring eyes so close to his own. Balthazar didn’t really ever shave, just kind of magicked off his facial hair when it got annoying, but Dave had never been close enough to actually see the individual strands. He had the absurd impulse to laugh, but the tension between them was reminder enough that it wasn’t the time.

“You are so, so naïve, kid. Don’t mistake age for maturity.” Balthazar dropped his hands and Dave felt momentary loss that he hadn’t grabbed him after all. A second later, he realized regret was a fickle thing as Balthazar stepped almost impossibly closer with nothing now between them but a slip of air. Dave gasped and then couldn’t really stop gasping, drawing air in like he was drowning.

“I can assure you, Dave, it might not be the only thing he’s thinking. But with you? It’s definitely crossed his mind.” Balthazar rose one hand and gently, so soft that Dave couldn’t really feel it, just the heat, pressed it against Dave’s cheek. Dave felt himself flush and he still couldn’t really catch his breath. Balthazar’s eyes, now so close to his own, searched across his face before he let out a harsh growl and tore his hand away and stalked back up the stairs behind Dave and then out into the cold November day.

_o_o_o_

Dave was still a little shaky when he unlocked his door and entered his apartment. It was the same one that he had been sharing with Becky (oh god, a lifetime ago at this point, really), and he hadn’t really done anything different with it since she had left. He had his classwork and his space and his training with Balth--

Basically he hadn’t done anything with it. He’d been busy. There were still glaring spaces on the tables and on the bookshelves that had previously held Becky’s things, but that Dave just hadn’t filled in yet. He wasn’t always the best at details and usually he forgot about the need to fill in the pieces of his life that Becky had left if he wasn’t staring right at them.

Today, though, Dave couldn’t really get farther than his couch. He slumped down onto the sofa and just stared at all the missing pieces. Why couldn’t he just...move on? He knew he liked Dylan, liked him well enough that he was going out with him tomorrow and well enough that if Dylan  had thought of propositioning him, he most assuredly wouldn’t have said no. Dave, out of it and lost in his own thoughts, still felt the blush come up across his face--okay, he wouldn’t have said no, but it wasn’t like he was sure exactly what he wouldn’t have said no to. This gay thing wasn’t exactly old hat.

Dave dropped his head into his hands and slouched forward. He was avoiding the issue that he didn’t want to think about, but Dylan was a safe subject in his head. He was lovely, and gentle, and sweet, and honestly loved spending time with Dave--

\--But something...Dave knew that something was missing and knew exactly what it was, too. Dave screamed into his hands, muffling the noise. Why couldn’t anything be easy? He was dating this handsome and caring man and, what? He wanted the handsome, caring, annoying, angry, pissy--

Dave screamed again, though this time it was harder to muffle. He wasn’t usually one for lying to himself, but it seemed like if there ever was a time, this would most assuredly be it.

“I’m going crazy,” Dave chuckled at his misfortune and threw himself down to mope properly on the couch. When his phone rang in his pocket, he had half a mind to ignore it. But when he glanced at the screen and saw it was Becky, he couldn’t ignore the pang in his chest. Wallowing in his own misery staring at the holes she had left in his life had made him maudlin. Maybe talking to her would help?

“Hey, Becky.” Dave had the mental energy to decide to answer the phone, but he wasn’t getting out of his moping pose, so the words sounded a bit squished.

“Dave--hi! I just wanted to check in with you about Dylan and see if you’re still up for lunch the day after tomorrow before Thanksgiving?” Becky was somewhere outside. Dave could hear vague voices that sounded far away and distant bird song.

“Are you at a park?” Dave mumbled into his shoulder.

Becky paused, then chuckled, “Um, yes? Lionel and I are walking over to the Chinese place to get dinner.”

“That sounds great.” Dave tried to sound happy, but it came out sarcastic, “Sorry, I do really mean that sounds great.” He pushed himself up and slid off the couch and onto the floor, resting his back against the foot of the couch behind him.

“Are you okay, Dave? Is anything wrong?” Becky sounded worried. He could hear a deep voice right next to her ask if everything was okay and she whispered back she wasn’t sure. Dave’s mouth twitched up in an almost smile--Lionel was a good guy and he made Becky happy. They deserved to be happy.

“No, nothing. Just spacing out.” Dave chuckled softly and stood up, turning to the bookcase and restacking the books to remove the gaps, “And yeah, lunch the day after tomorrow. Got you on my calendar. The sandwich place?”

“Yeah, perfect. And...are you sure? Is anything going on with Dylan?” Becky still sounded worried for him and Dave was grateful he had such a good friend. He moved over to the mantel and began to rearrange his knickknacks to better use the space.

“We’re going out for dinner tomorrow, actually. Things are going...great. He’s wonderful, Becky. Thanks for setting it up.” Dave paused, placing a small wolf figurine that Bennet had gotten him as a housewarming gift down, “I’m actually...well, I’m actually pretty nervous,” Dave chuckled, “It’s the third date and, well, he might have expectations.”

Dave cringed--until now, he had been the one with expectations. But with the confrontation in the underground, he couldn’t help the nervousness that was now bubbling up.

Becky laughed, “Oh, Dave--you’ll be fine.”

Dave returned the laugh, though it was more a nervous thing, “Hard to be ‘fine’ at anything I’ve got no idea about.”

“Oh!” Becky whispered something to Lionel and Dave heard him agree and move away, “Look, Dave,” Becky was whispering now, “Haven’t you...uh, well, aren’t you...haven’t you been curious about how it works?”

Blue blue blue dirty blonde soft warm warm warm \--”No! Uh, I mean, no?” Dave shook his head, “I mean, what?”

Becky sighed, “Dave, you should watch some porn.”

Dave’s breath stopped short and the gargling noise that issued from his throat was supposed to be a “what?!” but came out sounding more like a strangled dinosaur sound. Dave cleared his throat and then eked out a noise that sounded vaguely questioning.

“Porn, Dave. Watch it, read it--do what you need to do. But it might help with the nervousness.” Becky was smiling, Dave could hear it in her voice.

“I am so glad you are getting enjoyment from this, Becky.” Dave said, meaning the sarcasm this time.

“I’ll see you Wednesday, Dave,” he could hear Lionel returning and Becky quickly said, “Just remember what I said! It could be good for you.”

_o_o_o_

Dave tried very hard to think of something else the whole day before his date. He tried very, very hard to distract himself. He cleaned, he went grocery shopping, he cleaned some more, he sat at his laptop and stared absently at the “purpose” section of his thesis paper, cleaned some more, typed “help me” onto the blank page of his abstract, but ultimately Becky’s advice just kept coming back to him and, really, he was already at his laptop and it was just so easy to open the internet browser and type.

Watching the video results pop up after hitting the search button, however, was not so easy. Dave felt his eyes go wide and he slammed the laptop closed. Maybe he should read about it, instead. Yeah--that was more scientific. He was a scientist. He’d read the literature on the subject.

Dave snorted to himself, but cautiously opened his laptop back up and, one eye closed and the other barely open a crack, frantically closed the open window with its flesh and impossible positions. Safe, Dave opened both eyes and another search window and this time filtered out the videos.

_o_o_o_

The articles had been extremely illuminating. Dave thought it was a stretch to really call them “research articles” and he doubted they were peer-reviewed, but they were certainly helpful. Between his research and the time he needed to get ready for the date, Dave had barely enough time to run down to the bodega three streets over. There were closer stores, but Dave didn’t want to buy this item at a store he planned to keep frequenting. He’d pulled a baseball cap down as low as it could over his eyes and wore the raincoat he hadn’t pulled out of the closet since he learned the heating spell, but he knew it was a rather poor disguise if anyone he knew had actually seen him.

Now, Dave glanced at his watch one last time to note that yes, again, he was still four minutes early. After the research and the preparation, he’d been more eager than he thought he’d have been and had showed up relatively early. It wasn’t only physical, he knew (though he hoped that would be as nice as the readings indicated), but he was desperately hoping a nice night with a nice man would help him get his mind off--

blue and so angry at him and so soft and warm warm warm just a breath between them why wouldn’t he--

Dave shook his head--get his mind off of other things. He was happy. Very happy. Dylan was nice and honestly probably too good for him. He had soft eyes and the perfect hair and just old enough that--

Dave’s breath caught in his throat and the picture of Dylan he was trying to project in his mind’s eye shifted and his hair got darker and his eyes got bluer and then that stupid coat. Dave sighed and closed his eyes, jumping when a hand landed on his shoulder.

“Hey, Dave! Ready?” Dylan smiled up at him and his eyes were half-moons of happiness. Dave smiled back, but all he could see was blue blue blue and all he could think about was warm hands and calluses and cold rings and dark light hair and dramatic coat.

Dylan’s forehead crinkled, “Everything okay?”

Dave’s smile went sad, “No, not really.”


	7. Chapter 7

Dave slammed the door to the underground open as loudly and as angrily as he could, stomping down the stairs, “Hello? Balthazar, I know you’re here.”

“I’m not actually at your beck and call, Dave.” Balthazar stood in the center of the Merlinian circle, his coat off and hands resting in his pockets.

Dave ignored the reply and just kept stomping his way through the room until he was face to face with the other man, “Look, we have to talk.”

Balthazar raised one eyebrow, “We do?”

“Yes, we most definitely do.” Dave growled. He stabbed the pointer finger of his right hand into Balthazar’s chest, accenting his next words with small jabs, “You’re the reason I’m not on a perfectly nice date right now so yes, yes we have to talk.”

Balthazar reached up and caught the assaulting appendage. Dave tried pulling his hand back, but Balthazar’s grip was unwavering around his wrist and, honestly, at this point, Dave wasn’t exactly trying that hard to get away from the other man’s touch.

“I can’t say I’m exactly sad you decided to not go out with...Dylan, but it’s hardly my fault.” Balthazar, Dave was sure subconsciously, squeezed his wrist lightly before dropping it and turning around to walk away.

Dave screamed internally. How was this man so difficult? Why was he making this so hard? He was sure it wasn’t all in his head. The gentle touches, the looks when he thought Dave wasn’t watching, the frankly ridiculous interest in his love life--these were not the actions of a master to his apprentice or even a friend to a friend.

“You cannot be serious right now, dude.” Dave’s voice came out strangled and his hand shot out to Balthazar’s upper arm, dragging him around to face the younger man again. Dave took a step closer, his breathing starting to act funny again, and instead of releasing the other man, Dave brought his other hand up to grab at Balthazar’s other arm.

Balthazar was so close that Dave could see the gold sparks in his eyes again. He could hear the older man’s breath hitch and see the shock in the dropping of his mouth and widening of his eyes.

“You can’t...really, you can’t be serious.” Dave repeated, locking his own eyes onto Balthazar’s still overly wide ones and stepping, somehow, even closer so their chests brushed and their lips were just, almost, so close to touching--

Balthazar’s eyes went hard and he slapped Dave’s hands away from his arms, stepping back and away from the intensity between them and Dave felt like he ripped his heart from his body to leave him there gapping and cold, panting to catch his breath and make sense of what just happened.

“I am sorry, Dave.” Balthazar’s tone was as cold as his eyes. He glanced at Dave and then slid his eyes to a spot above and directly to the right of him, “I am sorry if you...if you got some kind of impression from me, but--”

“Bullshit.” Dave growled and barely stopped himself from stomping his feet like a toddler--not exactly the image he wanted to portray at the moment. He was so freaking tired of second guessing himself and of getting just almost what he wanted but knowing that something was missing. He was just done. Dave metaphorically threw his hands up in the air, but literally closed the distance that Balthazar had created with two long strides. He grabbed at the collar of the vest the other man was wearing and pulled the other man down at the same time he tilted his head up.

Dave felt like he was on fire. If the other man’s hands had been warm, then his lips were molten. He had a second to press his closed lips at the slack ones before him, somewhere deep reveling in the fact he had managed to stun the other man once again, before he figured his borrowed time was coming to a close. He couldn’t help one last press, his mouth slightly open and his tongue just barely there, before he started to draw away.

But then there was an iron grip on both his hips and he was being dragged so impossibly closer. His remaining breath escaped in a gasp as he was pulled flush against the body in front of him, but there wasn’t a chance to say anything or even open his eyes before there were lips slamming back into his own and teeth nipping and a tongue sliding against his and then in his mouth and it felt--

Warm. And intense. And so freaking right, nothing missing and Dave was in bliss. He groaned against teeth and pushed up with his body and mouth, his arms winding around the older man’s neck. This moment, he thinks, this is the moment. This is what he’d been missing with Jessie and Jason and Dylan and who even cared--

But then it was gone and Dave thought he had been a gapping husk of a body with no heart before, but to now lose that warmth and space and body he was a wreck. His eyes had slammed wide open and he was gasping but in his arms there was nothing but air.

“I’m sorry. God, I wasn’t... “ Balthazar, now impossibly so far away from him that he must have magicked himself out of Dave’s arms, had his back to Dave with the heel of both hands digging into his eyes.

Dave couldn’t reply right away, still desperately trying to draw breath and accustom himself to the loss he could feel creeping cold from his chest to his fingers and toes. He cleared his throat once, twice, a third time, before he even tried to speak, but still it came out as a croak, “If anyone’s sorry, I think it should be me. But I’m not.”

Balthazar groaned and Dave could see his hands fall to his sides, his fists clenching, “No, Dave. You’re just a kid--I’m supposed to know better. Hell, I do know better. I shouldn’t have--”

“Do you even hear yourself?” Dave was beyond exasperation. He wrapped his arms around himself, shivering. He could feel the warmth spell so he knew it was still working, but even as he checked the spell he knew the cold he was feeling couldn’t be magicked away or fought with a warm coat. Balthazar refused to turn around, which only made Dave more agitated. Dave’s fists clenched and he resolutely shoved them down to his sides, ignoring the shudder the cold that swept through his body, “Because you sound ridiculous, Balthazar.”

Balthazar sighed again and Dave watched his shoulders rise on a deep breath before his fists unclenched and his shoulders dropped in a parody of a relaxed stance, “I have lived for hundreds of years, Dave. And even if I hadn’t, I stopped aging in my forties. By all accounts I am much, much too old for you and you are much, much too young for me.”

Dave growled and stomped his right foot. Not the best time, he reminded himself, to be having a toddler tantrum, but if Balthazar was going to be ridiculous, then so could he damn it, “Good god,  _ yes _ , okay yes. You’re old. You’re an old man, Balthazar. But damn it, you’re  _ my  _ old man.”

Balthazar’s shoulders tensed minutely, but before Dave could press his advantage and step closer to the warmth of the other man, Balthazar’s right hand made a rolling motion and Dave felt himself being pulled back to the staircase by an unseen force fisting into the back of his hoodie. Dave gasped at the abrupt force, the fist of air dragging him to the foot of the staircase before flipping him around and giving him a hard enough nudge that his right foot reflexively caught himself on the first step.

Dave stumbled, but caught himself on the railings. He twisted his body around, but Balthazar was still standing with his back to him halfway across the room from where Dave was, “Seriously? You wanna complain about me being a kid but then act the child, yourself? Ignore it and it goes away?” Dave growled and slapped his hands on the railing, hoping for a reaction but getting none. “Fine. Fine! I’ll just leave you alone. I’ll see you next week after Thanksgiving. Enjoy the loneliness.”

“It might be better if you take some more time than that, Dave. You still need to train, but maybe we should take a break for a while.” Balthazar still didn’t turn to face him and it was killing Dave to not be able to see his face. So he was just going to..what? Wait this out?

Dave broke. He finally, in his palms, had the thing that he knew he wanted. It was the missing jigsaw piece, the thing that made him feel warm and safe and that he knew wouldn’t desert him and leave gaping holes in his life. He knew what it was, who it was, he  _ knew  _ it was Balthazar and it just hurt too much for Balthazar to not only refuse to acknowledge it, but to actively work against it.

“Yeah. Oh...kay. Okay.” Dave sniffed and his eyes hurt, but he knew he wouldn’t cry. Not yet--he was still too angry. But the anguish won out and as he stepped up the stairs and towards the door, he felt the hot prickling that he knew heralded tears. Right before the door closed behind him, one last speck of hope had him glancing back, desperate to see a hand reaching out and pulling him back and apologizing and--but there was nothing and the door shut with a soft click.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading--again, please do drop me a line. I'd appreciate the encouragement (or criticism, I suppose).
> 
> Edit: just realized I left out a chapter in the middle...woops. So now it is the correct eight chapters.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, my apologies for leaving out a whole chapter in the middle there. So sorry!

Dave, for the first time since he had started training with the ring (and without the ring, to be fair), felt the chill enough to shiver in the late November New York air. He rubbed his arms vigorously and when he breathed out he could see his breath as white clouds. He wished he had brought a jacket after all, but back at the beginning of the night, which seemed like forever ago, he hadn’t thought he’d need it for his almost-date. Dave sighed deeply and tucked his head down, the icy air drying out his eyes but he could still feel the prickling behind them and he knew it was only a matter of time before it didn’t matter how windy it was, he was going to be crying on his walk home.

Which really, really, really sucked. Because what the even hell, Dave thought--if he wanted it and Balthazar  _ obviously _ wanted it, too, despite the stupid martyr complex he decided to cultivate, he shouldn’t really be thinking about pushing down tears so he didn’t turn into a blubbering wreck on a New York street.

It was so freaking stupid. Dave had taken five steps away from the door, his arms around himself, before pausing. It was so,  _ so  _ stupid. He felt his despair slowly trickle away to be replaced again with anger. He felt the chill also slowly dissipate as he considered just how absolutely unfair the situation was. Because what the hell, really? Dave’s arms dropped to his sides and his fists clenched and okay, yeah, what the hell. This was not how this was supposed to go and screw it, it  _ wasn’t _ going to go this way. Dave abruptly turned around, squared his shoulders, and all but ran back to the door, throwing it open and then really running, the seething anger making his head spin.

Only, the stairs weren’t as empty as he was expecting them to be. Five steps down and he crashed into another body making its way up. Dave, anger momentarily forgotten, windmilled his arms, but could still feel himself tilting dangerously to the left and over the railing. A sudden gust of air and an invisible force was supporting his back and holding him upright, though he was still tilted at such an angle that his feet kept slipping on the mesh of the stairs.

Dave made a short noise before his mind finally caught up with the fact that he was not falling to his doom and his stomach settled back into its proper place. He looked over and saw Balthazar, arm outstretched, and face a mask of poorly concealed concern, “Um...thank you?”

Balthazar’s eyebrows twitched in no longer poorly concealed exasperation and pulled his hand back, the invisible force at Dave’s back responding to the motion and settling him back onto his feet. The anger that had been infecting his veins almost moments ago was shot, frozen and disappeared by his almost fall. Now securely back on his feet, he just stared at Balthazar who was slightly below him on another step, who also just stared back at him. He hadn’t really planned on what to say, but with the anger leached out of him he’d also lost the impulsive will he’d been counting on to carry him through the next part.

“You came back.” Balthazar broke the silence, crossing his arms in front of him and glancing away from Dave.

“Yeah, I...did.” Dave copied Balthazar’s pose, uncomfortable suddenly in the continued silence before a thought occurred to him and his gaze whipped back to study Balthazar’s face, “And you...were you coming after me?”

Unbelievably (and Dave had to blink several times before he did, reluctantly, believe it), Balthazar blushed.

Dave blinked, “You were!” He couldn’t stop his face from practically splitting in two, his smile wide and his face already hurting from how big it was.

Balthazar made a noncommittal noise, but still refused to meet Dave’s eyes. He shrugged his shoulders and mumbled something incomprehensible. Dave hesitantly stepped down the few steps between them until he was standing on the step right above the one Balthazar stood on. Tentatively, he reached a hand out to lay it on Balthazar’s crossed arms. Balthazar’s face turned pained and he uncrossed his arms to avoid the contact.

Dave felt some of the anger returning, “No way--you don’t, you don’t get to do an almost sappy romantic gesture and then, ugh, and then just decide--” Dave made a guttural noise in his throat, giving in to the returning anger and pitching himself forward at the same time as he twisted his own wrist.

The invisible wind kept Balthazar, completely unprepared, in place as Dave again pressed his lips to the other man’s. Dave growled against the unresponsive mouth, dragging his hands around Balthazar’s neck and then up to cradle his head and dig into his scalp, “For god’s sake,” he bit against the older man’s mouth, “What the hell do I have to do for you to just--”

Against him, Dave could feel Balthazar’s body as tense as a piano wire. He refused to backdown, biting at the other man’s lips and holding Balthazar’s head in place with his hands. Finally, after a forever, Dave felt hands gently come up and rest, again so soft he could only feel the warmth, not the touch, on his hips. The warmth was so startling after the cold that Dave couldn’t keep the whimper down and it was out of his throat and mouth before he even had enough time to be embarrassed by the sound that he couldn’t remember ever making before.

Balthazar sighed and Dave felt his body relax at the same time as the grip on his hips grew so tight as to be on just this side of painful. The mouth beneath his opened and Dave groaned, his tongue sliding in and against an answering tongue. Balthazar’s grip pulled him closer and his body was flush against the other man’s and Dave was, again, so warm and molten and he didn’t want this to stop.

Except, if it didn’t stop, he was most certainly not going to be able to keep up his concentration. The wind at Balthazar’s back fluttered and the man slipped slightly before catching his balance, Dave’s concentration almost dissolved again when one of Balthazar’s hands moved down under his layers and then back up to touch skin to skin.

Balthazar laughed, “Okay, obviously you’re the winner here. Seduction complete. But perhaps we should move to a less perilous location?”

Dave snort giggled into Balthazar’s neck, but nodded his head. He let go of Balthazar’s hair long enough to wrap his arms around the other man’s neck and was gratified to feel the hands steady on his hips.

Balthazar slipped his hands farther along Dave’s back underneath the younger man’s shirts to pull him closer, “Alright, lazy-bones. Just don’t let go.”

Dave smiled and kissed the too tempting neck in front of him, “No problem there.” Dave felt himself shift, like he stopped moving or the earth did, before he clunked back to reality. They were in the same position, but now in the center of the Merlinian circle on the floor rather than the stairs. Secure on the floor, Dave reached up and attached his lips under Balthazar’s jaw, mouthing at the skin and stubble. He felt more than heard the other man’s moan, but it was gratifying and it made Dave bold enough to disentangle his arms and slide them underneath the other man’s gratuitous clothing.

The effect was almost instantaneous. Balthazar growled and one of his hands made its way from Dave’s back to his hair, pulling his head back so the older man could seal his lips over his, biting hungrily. Dave moaned and pushed back, probably with too much force, but the kiss was more of a battleground than anything else so it wasn’t exactly out of place.

Dave’s hands splayed against Balthazar’s bare stomach underneath the other man’s clothes and Dave wished so hard that the clothes would be gone and he could feel skin and god, he was so  _ warm _ .

A hiss and flicker of light and suddenly Dave was pressed against Balthazar, flesh-to-flesh, their clothes gone--somewhere, Dave didn’t really care, couldn’t be bothered to care with the sudden new pressure, heat, god, skin against him everywhere and it was agonizingly exactly what he had wanted. He broke the kiss to gasp, Balthazar growling down his neck and biting harsh bruises that Dave knew would be there in the morning. Balthazar used the hand still on Dave’s hip to tilt him just so at the same time as he twisted his hips and--

_ Oh _ . Yes. Yes, that. Dave whimpered and his hips stuttered up, his own need answered by the hot line against his thigh. Balthazar continued to bite down to his shoulder, one hand angling his head and the other skimming down from his waist and then  _ down _ from down and Dave hadn’t really had a clear thought since he stepped back into the underground so couldn’t remember why, maybe, he should say something before--

Balthazar broke away so suddenly that Dave gasped at the loss. His eyes were glazed and his knees were weak--it felt like the only thing holding him up was the iron grip on his shoulders as the older man forced him an arm’s length away.

Dave caught his breath, still ridiculously ready to really get on with what they were doing and reached a hand out to try and close the distance before he saw the look on Balthazar’s face. His had froze between them and the haze in his brain cleared enough for him to remember exactly why, oh yes, whoops--why Balthazar looked like he was about to murder someone.

“Umm..I can explain?” Dave hardly recognized his own voice, it was deep and gravely and he cleared his throat to try again, “It’s, uh, not what you think.”

Balthazar’s grip was painful, but Dave found himself not minding (well hello there new sexual preference). His face was already set to murder, but at Dave’s less than stellar explanation, it seemed to grow into something...well, Dave couldn’t really figure out what would be worse than murder. Double murder?

“Did he touch you?” Dave felt that question hit him straight in the chest and then travel at lightning speed to the base of his cock. God, sorry--what? What was the question? Balthazar didn’t really expect him to  _ hear _ what he was saying when he said it like that, right?

Apparently yes, because Balthazar shook him once and growled, “Tell me, Dave.” 

Dave’s knees completely gave out and he was absolutely no longer standing on his own power. He whimpered and decided that yes, he needed to be touching the other man now, thank you, and all but launched himself forward and against the naked heat of the man before him. Rather than actually hurt him, Balthazar’s elbows bent at the sudden movement, only serving to clutch Dave closer.

“No, you idiot.” Dave breathed against Balthazar’s jaw, biting down way more harshly than he had before, the older man’s breath hissing out at the force, “The date lasted, like, five seconds--when would he have had time to do anything?”

He was right up against Balthazar’s jaw, so he could feel the frown, “But then…” And without any more warning than that, he felt the fingers of Balthazar’s right hand searching down and against that spot that, prior to earlier that evening, Dave hadn’t really thought of as an erogenous zone.

Dave whined and it was high and needy and Dave was going to promptly forget that he ever had the capacity to make that sound. Still up against the other man’s jaw, Dave had enough sense left to be exasperated at the grin he could now feel forming. Balthazar slid an easy finger down and then  _ in _ and Dave jumped and rutted hard against the thigh he realized he wasn’t so much leaning against but using as support, his toes barely still touching the floor. Yes, okay--so sometimes he forgot just how physically strong Balthazar was, too, in addition to the magic.

But it definitely was not something he was forgetting at the moment, his hips involuntarily making needy motions and grinding him down onto the older man’s thigh. Balthazar responded by twisting his finger and Dave made that noise again.

Holding onto the last of his working brain cells, Dave realized he still hadn’t yet explained, “I’m a little new at this,” he gasped as the hand with the finger not currently inside him reached up to drag down his chest.

“You are doing fine, believe me.” Balthazar nipped at his ear and pressed his own hardness against Dave’s.

Dave’s brain slightly short-circuited, “What? Yes--oh. Yes. But I figured I knew what I wanted, right?”

Balthazar stilled and drew both his hands away, though he didn’t stop Dave from all but attempting to merge with the front of his body. Dave whined in the back of his throat at the loss, “Hey no, come back.”

Balthazar caught his chin with the hand that had been exploring his chest and forced eye contact, “Keep talking, Dave.”

Dave whimpered at the command. Balthazar just absolutely couldn’t talk like that if he expected anything from Dave that required thinking, “I, ah, well. I didn’t really know how it...worked. So I wanted to be prepared.”

“Prepared?” Balthazar’s voice went deep and his eyes, which Dave thought had surely reached the height of blue, glinted darkly and slid into an even deeper intensity.

Dave, despite his position and despite just how naked he was with his hard cock inches from another man’s hard cock, still managed to blush, “I read about it? I just wanted to make sure it would feel okay and, well, then I figured why not just keep it that way if--”

And then suddenly Balthazar had both hands underneath Dave’s ass and was lifting him up and then over, slamming him down onto the edge of one of the rarely used and relatively clean bolted tables. Balthazar latched his mouth onto Dave’s, no finesse, just pressure and teeth and tongue and Dave arched and moaned at the assault.

“So you wanted to make sure it’d feel okay.” Balthazar growled against Dave’s lips, fitting himself between Dave’s splayed legs and forcing them open and his hips almost painfully angled up. One hand stayed firmly locked in Dave’s hair, holding his head in place while the other snaked down and thrust a finger right back in, “Did it, Dave? Did you like it?”

Dave gasped and could barely think, trying to remember through the sudden throb of pleasure. Yes--yes he had. Pulling the hat down, hiding his face with the collar of his coat and hurriedly paying for the lube. Sitting naked on his bed because it had felt ridiculous when he had still had his shirt on. Sliding his own hands down and circling with a heavily lubed finger. He hadn’t liked it at first, had thought it was weird and alien, but then he’d thought of someone else’s finger and someone else’s hand and  _ blue blue blue _ and he’d almost come right there, his fingers in himself and barely touching his own cock.

“Ye-es.” Dave stuttered and then there were two fingers inside him and it was almost too much. He'd used a lot of lube earlier (better safe than sorry, he’d figured), but it had been hours since and he almost wasn’t slick enough for the fingers twisting inside him. His thighs spasmed and clenched around Balthazar, who just growled low in his throat and kept kissing him.

“God, you’re beautiful.” Balthazar’s voice was choked and Dave almost missed the words with the sudden appearance of a third finger, but he gasped and whined and knew he’d have to try and remember just what Balthazar’s face looked like at that moment. The third finger brought more slickness and Dave’s whine caught at the back of his throat in a constant keen as  _ yes _ okay  _ yes _ that was good right there.

But then there was something other than fingers and it was warm so warm and hard and heavy and bigger and perfect. Dave’s breath was coming in gasps, every exhale a whine and Balthazar groaned above and against him, arms on either side of Dave at the edge of the table trying to hold them both upright.

At the first thrust, Dave thought that was it. Surely he couldn’t take any more pleasure, surely that was--then the second, the third, the fourth and Dave was crying out and he couldn’t stop it just felt so good. Balthazar turned his head into his neck, breathing heavily and wet and licked a stripe from his jaw to his ear and Dave was just  _ gone _ . He could feel the blinding pleasure and heat and he didn’t think he’d ever be coming down and it was almost terrifying but perfect. Balthazar was gone a moment after with a drawn out moan, and then his trembling arms collapsed and they both tumbled to the floor, Balthazar with just enough sense left to cushion them gently in the landing.

_o_o_o_

Dave was warm and deliriously comfortable. Only half-awake, he breathed in deeply and smiled at the holiday cinnamon and cold wind smell. If he was dreaming, he didn’t want to wake up. If he had a choice, he’d stay asleep cocooned in wherever he was. Why was he even trying to wake up? Dave mumbled and snuggled deeper before a persistent beeping reminded him exactly what had woken him up in the first place.

“Oh crap! What time is it?” Dave yelped and stumbled out of the cocoon of covers and down off the cot, hopping on one bare foot then the other at the coldness of the stone. The cocoon of covers grumbled and Dave turned sharply to face what he now realized were blankets  _ and _ something else. Someone else.

Balthazar grumbled and resettled, opening one eye a crack and glaring up at Dave, “Get the freaking phone, Dave. It’s been going off for forever.

Dave blinked. Then, still frozen, couldn’t really do much but blink again. Oh yeah, right.  _ Right _ . Oh. Dave smiled and had a half thought to crawl back into the pile of blankets and sleepy Balthazar when his phone went off again. Dave sighed and tried to remember where his pants had gone.

Dave furrowed his brow. Wait, where  _ had  _ his pants gone? He remembered all but wishing their clothing away, but apparently “away” didn’t mean disintegrated or burnt to a crisp if his phone was still working. He glanced around the underground space warily, his toes still wiggling as his feet got used to the cold floor and the ever present heating spell took care of the rest of him.

Which, Dave thought while glancing down and blushing, was probably a good thing. He apparently hadn’t felt the need for clothes after...well,  _ after _ , and had just fallen onto the surprisingly comfortable cot that Balthazar had hand-waved to a reasonable size for two bodies. Dave remembered looking for Tank underneath but, thankfully, Balthazar had already magicked Tank back to Dave’s apartment right after their almost-fight. He had thought to give Dave one less reason to visit, but he had also thankfully saved Tank from being scared for life in the process.

“The phone, Dave.” Balthazar grumbled, sitting half up and rubbing at his eyes. Dave thought it was adorable, but also had enough sense of self-preservation to never, ever mention that fact out loud.

“Just...give me a minute,” Dave replied, glancing around again and trying to pinpoint exactly where the sound was coming from. Balthazar stretched and yawned and Dave was again distracted by the fact that apparently Balthazar had also not felt the need to get dressed.

Balthazar paused mid-stretch, eyeing Dave and watching him warily before slowly raising an eyebrow, “Focus, Dave.”

Dave, for his part, was horrified that he’d absolutely never be able to think of anything else but this moment--him, naked and very clearly beginning to be interested in a repeat of last night, and Balthazar, equally naked and running his eyes over Dave with a particular hunger that did nothing to staunch the butterflies in Dave’s stomach--whenever Balthazar used those words again during training.

Dave shook his head and decidedly turned away from the cot, Balthazar, and the temptation that all represented. His phone was still going off--anyone who’d be calling that many times definitely needed to get a hold of him. Finally, Dave spotted what he thought might be his jeans, but he couldn’t be exactly sure as they were stuffed behind and around the relief of a castle crenellation on the highest point of the wall directly across from the entrance.

Frowning, Dave reached one hand out and concentrated on magicking his jeans down from the height nice and slow. Unfortunately, his jeans appeared to have been the only thing keeping the rest of their bundled clothes from failing and while he kept a good hold on the jeans, the rest of his clothes and Balthazar’s came tumbling down without any management. Dave winced as Balthazar’s coat, the last item, smashed down with a thunk.

“Found my phone.” Dave said, unnecessarily. He heard Balthazar’s sigh and he knew without looking that it was accompanied by an eyeroll. He watched Balthazar’s coat and other pieces of clothing slowly lift from the floor and fly behind him to, he imagined, Balthazar’s outstretched hand. Dave walked over to his jeans, pulling them on before glancing at the face of his phone which had paused in its incessant ringing as his apparently impatient caller took a break.

Dave’s eyes blew wide at the screen. Seventeen missed calls?! He thumbed the phone open and realized those seventeen missed calls were accompanied by a slew of text messages. Dave groaned, “Oh damn, I was supposed to meet Becky and Lionel,” Dave glanced at his watch before realizing that not only was he not wearing it, but his phone was just as capable of showing him exactly how late he was for the lunch date he was most definitely not going to be able to make.

His phone lit up in his hands and he frantically pressed the answer button, “Oh god, Becky, I am so sorry, I completely forgot--”

“Three hours, Dave.  _ Three hours _ . Where are you?! I’ve been worried sick!” Becky sounded frantic over the phone.

“I know, I know. I am so, so sorry. I’m fine, really.” Dave winced. He heard Becky pull away from the phone and assure someone who he assumed was Lionel that no, Dave was not answering from a hospital deathbed, but was actually just peachy keen and an idiot.

“Is this going to be a regular thing, Dave? You go out and have, what I hope, is fantastic gay sex and then forget about your friends and the plans you made with them the next day?” He could tell from her voice that Becky was already starting to forgive him and calm down. He could also tell from the increased volume on “gay sex” that she wasn’t quite done verbally flaying him for making her worry, however.

Dave groaned and he felt heat flare across his face, “Becky, god, come on.”

Becky laughed, “Okay, okay. No more teasing. But you owe me, mister. You made me worry and I didn’t even get to enjoy a delicious sandwich.” Dave laughed and heard a distant, “Me, too! Tell him that I was worried, too! And that I should get a sandwich,” as Lionel tried to horn in on a possible rescheduled lunch date. Becky chuckled and Dave heard a surprised grunt that he guessed was from Becky elbowing her boyfriend in the stomach.

“I heard him. Sandwiches all around, apparently.” Dave said dryly.

“The only fitting punishment.” The background noise around Becky suddenly went quiet and Dave realized she must have been cupping her hand over the receiver. “And it was fantastic gay sex, right?” Becky whispered into the phone.

Dave twisted around, watching as Balthazar tried his best to ignore the entire situation that was Dave and a cell phone while lacing up his boots. He’d managed to get fully dressed while Dave wasn’t paying attention and Dave had a fleeting thought of disappointment. As if he could feel his gaze, Balthazar looked up from his boots and raised a questioning eyebrow. Dave smiled, then blushed as Balthazar’s gaze strayed from his own down to his neck and still bare chest. Balthazar’s eyes went dark and he smirked and Dave’s stomach flipped. He brought the hand not holding the phone to his ear up to his neck and hissed, flinching his hand back. Oh right, the biting. Balthazar chuckled and Dave rolled his eyes.

“Dave? Hello? Still there?” Becky was back to worried and Dave turned his attention back to the phone against his ear.

“Yes! Sorry--just got distracted. It was...a good night, yes.” Dave smiled softly.

Becky giggled over the phone, “We’ll meet after Thanksgiving--Saturday? You can tell me all about it. I’ll tell Lionel he can get his makeup sandwich another day.”

“Sounds...great.” Dave looked up and caught Balthazar’s eyes again and smiled slowly, “Perfect, really.” Dave thumbed the end call button without breaking eye contact. Balthazar walked over to him and calmly picked up the tangle of Dave’s shirts from the floor, holding it out to him expectantly.

Dave’s smile turned just a little rakish before taking the opportunity to crawl back into Balthazar’s personal space, nudging the offered garments out of the way to take up residence up against the older man’s chest. Balthazar sighed in put-upon annoyance, but Dave was close enough that he could make out his smile and the arms coming up around him left him in little doubt as to his welcome.

“You’re a brat, kid, you know that?” Balthazar set a kiss against Dave’s forehead.

Dave chased his mouth with his own, mumbling a “But I’m your brat,” before sealing their lips together.


End file.
